We read and hear all the time about business executives and athletes with salaries well into the millions. That's ridiculous, especially when so many of them don't really earn the money. So to fix this, in the future I would make it illegal for anybody to be paid a base salary or signing bonus greater than the salary of the President of the United States, whatever that may be at the time. If you want more than that, it must be in the form of performance bonuses. Don't perform well enough, get a smaller or no bonus. Other than that, you could only get more by winning it in a sport or game or risking your money in an investment. Existing contracts would be grandfathered in, but would be taxed on the overage at 75%. As for the Prez, if HE didn't do a good job but didn't do anything impeachable, I would give the voters the option to vote a penalty tax on his salary. Put it on the ballot every November as a referendum, if it gets a 2/3 vote against him, he pays.

So to fix this, in the future I would make it illegal for anybody to be paid a base salary or signing bonus greater than the salary of the President of the United States, whatever that may be at the time. If you want more than that, it must be in the form of performance bonuses.

That's how most execs are paid. Their performance bonuses are in the form of stock options. The reason that options became so popular is that the idiots on the Hill decided to limit the amount that companies could deduct as a legitimate business expense for any salary over a certain amount.

That's how most execs are paid. Their performance bonuses are in the form of stock options. The reason that options became so popular is that the idiots on the Hill decided to limit the amount that companies could deduct as a legitimate business expense for any salary over a certain amount.

While this was certianly true in the 90s, it is no longer true. Executive pay has run out of control in the last 5 years or so.

The CEO of my company get more than $10million per year, BEFORE the performanace based bonuses.